Game News Round-Up

Developer Double Eleven taken off Prison Architect series after nine years

• Paradox notes that Prison Architect 2 passed certification and the contract was fulfilled, but "...We could not find a commercial agreement that worked for both parties moving forward and mutually agreed to part ways."

Sony’s gaming division Financial Results

• The Numbers:
• Year Ended March 31 2024:
• **Sales**: ¥4.26 trillion (17% year-on-year)
• **Sony’s Network services revenue**: ¥545.5 billion (up from ¥464.6 billion)
• **Software sales (PS4/5)**: 286.4 million units (22.2 million increase year-on-year)
• Highlights:
• Digital software accounted for 70% of annual game sales, compared to 67% last year
• PS5 has sold 59.3 million units to date
• Helldivers 2 is now PlayStation’s fastest-selling game launch ever, with sales “far exceeding expectations” at 12 million copies sold across PC and PS5 in its first 12 weeks

PlayStation names Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as its new CEOs

• Hulst is CEO of the newly named Studio Business Group, which includes all of PlayStation’s first-party teams, plus covers the development of PlayStation IP onto other mediums, such as TV and film.
• Hulst was already head of PlayStation Studios. He was previously the co-founder of Horizon and Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, which was acquired by Sony in 2005.
• Hideaki Nishino will lead the Platform Business Group, which includes console hardware, technology, accessories, PlayStation Network and third-party relations (covering major publishers and indie studios).
• He was already SVP of Platform Experiences. He’s been part of the Sony business since 2006, holding numerous roles at Sony Network Entertainment, Sony Corporation and SIE.

Warner Bros. transferring ownership of titles under Adult Swim Games label back to some devs

So far the development teams behind Small Radios Big Televisions and Duck Game / Super Mega Team have confirmed they've received notice of ownership returning to them

• The move comes months after the firm said it was delisting titles from the publishing division

Square Enix Financial Results

• The Numbers:
• **Net sales**: ¥356 billion ($2.28 billion, up 3.8% year-on-year from ¥343 billion)
• **Digital entertainment sales**: ¥248 billion ($1.59 billion, up 2.6% YoY from ¥245 billion)
• **Operating income**: ¥32.5 billion ($208 million, down 26.6% YoY from ¥44.3 billion)
• **Profit attributable to owners of parent**: ¥15 billion ($96.2 million, down 69.7% YoY from ¥49.2 billion)
• The Aftermath:
• Square Enix Has Said:
• FF16 sales fell short of expectations
• FF7 Rebirth fell short of expectations
• Foamstars fell short of expectations
• Remains confident FF16 can achieve its goal over the original 18-month sales plan. Also, sales of Rebirth and Foamstars aren't necessarily bad.
• Reorganized development team into five console teams, one smartphone game team
• Has been relied too much on an individual's creativity
• Will promote sharing game making how-how among teams and will seek best balance of individual creativity and organizational discipline
• DQ12 remains under development
• Investors Reacted:
• Sold shares heavily, stocks fell to the day's trading limit
• Square Enix Reacted:
• Layoffs
• Employees working in publishing, IT, and the Square Enix Indie Collective are losing their jobs.
• American and United Kingdom offices are affected and are expected to be further affected